Canon rebel xti kit lense question??

Question

Im thinking of gettin it soon ...but im not really sure about the lens it comes with... (18-55mm f/3.5-5.6)

im basically taking pictures of people and nature and macro pictures...is it a decent lens?

and how is the 50mm f/1.8??

any recomendations....

Answer 1

Compared to the rest of the Canon lenses, the kit lens is c**p. It's slow (f5.6 when zoomed is nearly useless indoors), it focuses slow, and it's not particularly sharp. But people LOVE this lens. I think most of them just don't know any bettter, but if it works for them then who am I to judge? And even with all my criticism, it's still a h**l of a deal. If you were to buy it without the lens you'd save a few bucks but then have to drop like $500 to get something better that would cover that same focal range. Get the kit.

And speaking of a h**l of a deal, definitely buy the nifty 50. Everybody Canon user should one. It focuses slower than molasses, but it's an absolutely beautiful bunch of glass wrapped up in a crappy package. I think the other answerer was confused by the people that call this a "fast lens." The "fast" refers to the f1.8. More light = faster shutter speeds = "fast lens" The nifty 50 is sooooo not known for it's focusing speed. But otherwise, there is no better deal in glass anywhere on the market. The also make a 1.4 ($325) and a 1.2L ($1379)...heh. Shya. Right.

Answer 2

The kit lens is ok as a starter lens, but try to get the updated kit lens with IS (image stabilizer) if you can, because it's better than the original kit lens (has the advantage of IS). But, this lens still has a number of limitations (slowness and other issues). So, you need to either buy the body only and get a better lens (faster) to begin with (which will cost more or course), or use the kit lens for a while until you really know which focal length/s you prefer and which lens would be more suited to your needs.

The ultra cheap, EF 50mm f/1.8 on the other hand, is an excellent lens for indoors, low-light, portraits etc. It's cheap, very plasticky and toylike, but has very good image quality. Most photographers will swear by the good ol' EF 50mm f/1.8.

For macro, a dedicated macro lens is your best bet (e.g. the EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro).

Answer 3

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Answer 4

The 18-55mm lens is a good portrait lens. You can get really sharp images, and you also have a useful focal length. This is the most popular lens that comes with Canon and Nikon digital cameras in a kit. It's a good portrait lens, but it's not the best, the 50mm f/1.8 would be a better lens for portrait. The bokeh is better, and it focuses a lot faster.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-1-8-Cam...

The 18-55mm lens is a nice wide-angle lens. But the 50mm f/1.8 lens is best for portrait, and the images will be a bit sharper too. The 18-55mm lens is decent, but the 50mm is more decent in portrait photography. You use different lenses for different assignments.